


Save Me

by silenceisdeafening



Series: Scars and Healing [2]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: A lot of Hurt, Aftermath of Torture, Age Play, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autistic L (Death Note), Bathing/Washing, Beating, Blankets, Caregiver Light, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Good Yagami Light, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, L Has Feelings (Death Note), Little L, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Yagami Light, Separation Anxiety, Sleepy Cuddles, Stuffed Toys, Thumb-sucking, Torture, Waterboarding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:33:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27614908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silenceisdeafening/pseuds/silenceisdeafening
Summary: L gets kidnapped and tortured by someone who wants his name. The problem is that he cannot get out of his Little Space. Papa needs to save him.
Relationships: L/Yagami Light
Series: Scars and Healing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018990
Comments: 8
Kudos: 105





	1. Torture

"Papa?" L whimpered as he opened his eyes. He was in a cold, dark room. The baby whimpered again. He did not like it here. It was dark and scary. Where was Papa? Papa had to help him.

"Papa?" L called out again, trying to sit up, but a blinding pain burst behind his eyes. L sobbed at the pain. He held his head and curled up as tightly as he could. He felt a bump on the back of his head. How did he get an owie? He did not remember. The last thing he remembered was going out with his Papa for ice cream after going to an aquarium. L was suddenly very confused on top of his fear.

Where was Papa? He needed Papa. 

"Papa hewp," L whimpered as tears streamed down his face. He curled up into a small ball on the cold concrete floor and cried. His head hurt so much, and he was scared, and he did not know where his Papa was. 

Once the pain in his head died down, L tried to look around the room again. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. When he was able to see, L saw that the room he was in was tiny and completely bare. It was concrete and grey, and there was no sign of his Papa. 

It was scary. 

L wanted to go home. He wanted his blankie and his paci and Pomme. He wanted his Papa and Wawa. He wanted his Papa to cuddle him and his Wawa to read to him.

L whimpered and put his thumb in his mouth and suckled to try, and self soothe. He needed to think. If his Papa or Wawa was not here, then he had to find a way out. He could find Papa and Wawa if he got out of the room. 

L sat up slowly to prevent any more pain. L whimpered when his head felt funny, and he felt like he was going to vomit. L buried his head in his knees and breathed deeply like his Papa taught him to do when he felt yucky.

After his head felt less yucky, the baby lifted his head and looked around the room one more time to make sure that he saw everything. There was a door at the other end of the room. L needed to get to that door. He knew that the door was probably locked, but he had to try. 

L slowly tried to stand, but he could not. He was too dizzy. He fell back to the ground. L burst into tears when he fell on his bottom. It hurt! L curled up again and cried. "Papa! Wawa!" L shouted, whimpering when Papa and Wawa did not come. 

He just wanted his Papa and Wawa. 

Then, he remembered, he needed to get to the door, but he could not stand. L could crawl. He crawled all the time when he was at home when his Papa was not carrying him. His Papa called him cute when he did it. 

L started to crawl toward the door. It felt like he was crawling through molasses. It was so hard, but he kept going. Hand and leg, hand and leg, one more step accomplished. L did it again and again and again. Eventually, L reached the door. He got up on his knees, noting that he did not become dizzy again. He twisted the doorknob. It did not budge. L whimpered. He turned the knob harder and became very frustrated and angry when it did not work.

L screamed and hit the door, "Wet me out!" he hit the door again and again. It hurt his hand, and he did not like the loud noise. He did not care. He wanted out. 

"Wet me out! Wet me out!" L cried tears streamed down his face, "I don' wanna be inna hewe."

L continued to pound at the door and plead to be let out of the room until his hands hurt so much, and they were bleeding, and his throat felt raw.

"Pwea, pwea wet me out," L sniffled. He did not feel mad anymore. The baby felt all sad now. 

"Pwea gimme back a Papa."

L crawled back to the corner of the room after realizing that no one was listening to him. Having his back to the corner meant that he could see everything in the room, and it made him feel safer. He put his thumb in his mouth and suckled and rocked himself slowly back and forth. The baby took deep breaths like his Papa told him to do when he was super upset. His tears slowed as he finally ran out of tears. 

L was not sure how long he sat there all alone in the dark, but the door eventually opened up. He was reciting a story that his Papa read him ni-ni once. He snapped his mouth closed and looked toward the door. 

A woman stood in the doorway. She was tall and skinny with long red hair. Her hair looked like fire. Her eyes were blue, like the ocean. Her face was like stone. That was scary. While he had trouble expressing his emotions with his face and did not try most of the time (unless with Papa or Wawa), it still scared him when someone else was expressionless. He did not know what it meant. Were they mad, sad, disgusted? L could not tell. 

She silently entered the room and closed the door with a click. She turned on the light. It was blinding. L whimpered at the light and squinted his eyes but did not take his eyes off of the Woman. No matter how much it hurt to keep his eyes open. The Woman scoffed at the whimper. 

The Woman walked further into the room. L pressed his back further into the corner. He wished that he could go through the wall like a ghost. If he were a ghost, would he be able to find Papa? Maybe. 

L did not notice that she had a large bag until she put it down. It clattered as she sat it down. L did want to know what was in the bag. His mind ran with thoughts of weapons that she could use to hurt him with. What information did she want? He would not give her any information, of course. It would make big him and Papa and Wawa sad. 

She pulled out a metal bat, hammer, handcuffs, rag, and several knives. 

L started shaking in fear. She must be planning on giving him lots and lots of owies. Tears entered the baby's eyes again. He did not want any owies! 

"You're the World's Greatest Detective?" The Woman asked. 

L whined. Yes, he was the World's Greatest Detective, but not right now. Right now, he was just a baby. He could not tell her that. L knew that, so he did not talk. 

"Pathetic," she sneered, face twisting in disgust. L curled up further, hugging his knees. If he were a big boy, he would have a snappy remark to that. But right now, he did not. He was too scared.

"Here's the deal, Detective," she said, picking up the bat, "trust me, this is nothing personal. My boss just needs your name."

L shook his head rapidly. He could not reveal his name! That would put him and Papa and Wawa in danger.

"Hey, listen!" the Woman said, "all it is is one little name. Tell me your name, and I won't have to hurt you." 

L kept his mouth firmly shut and shook his head again. He would never ever give him name away. He wasn't supposed to.

"Then I guess I have no other choice," the Woman said. 

She did, though, she did have a choice. The Woman did not need to hurt him. She did not have to listen to her boss. She could let him go. She could give him back to his Papa. 

The Woman then reached out and grabbed L's right wrist. No doubt to drag him out of his safe corner. L snapped. He did not want the Woman to touch him. He did not want to get hurt. So, he shrieked, so loud that he could not hear anything else. Even when the Woman told him to stop, he attacked with his feet, trying to kick the Woman. L knew that he got a few good kicks in, but the kicks were not strategized and easy to control in his frantic mindset. The Woman pinned his legs down, but L did not stop fighting. He attacked with his hands, trying to hit, punch, pinch, whatever he could do to try and get away. 

"No! No!" L screamed, squirming once she got his wrists pinned above his head. He was now flat on his back with the Woman on top of him. "Wet me go! Go! Go!" 

The Woman pulled a needle seemingly out of nowhere. L's eyes widened in pure panic. "No, no! I don' wan' it!" tears streamed down his face, he squirmed and tried to get away, but the Woman was too strong. 

"Shut up and quit moving," she ordered, bringing the needle close to his inner elbow. 

"No, no, pwea'," L begged, trying to jerk his wrist out of the Woman's hand. He did not want the needle. It was scary! It hurt!

The Woman did not listen, pricing the baby's skin with the needle and injecting whatever drug into his vein. 

L whimpered, "no," his body already felt heavy, and he could not control it. His body would not listen to him when he told it to move. L sobbed. He wanted to curl up into a tight ball, but he could not. His body was not in his control. L did not like that. His tummy rolled with anxiety. 

What if he was stuck like this forever? He did not want to be stuck like this forever. He would not be able to do anything. Not even snuggle Papa. That sounded awful and made him so afraid.

L then felt very sleepy. He did not want to fall asleep. He did not know what the Woman would do to him if he fell asleep. But his eyes felt so tired, and he could not help going ni-ni. 

…

Light groaned as he woke up. His head fucking hurt. What the Hell happened. He did not remember going out for drinks last night. Besides, L never let him get so drunk that he would have a hangover that he would feel like this. Not after the first time.

"Light is worse than my little side," L had complained after all of Light's whining. 

"Your little side throws tantrums," Light had reminded him. 

"Light would be correct," L had said, biting his thumbnail, "but while my tantrums last a couple of minutes. Light's has lasted for the past hour. He should get over here and take medicine so he can stop whining." 

Light had pouted but eventually listened and swallowed down a couple of pain meds. 

"Light," he heard someone call his name. It was familiar, but it was not. Light could not place the voice.

"Open your eyes, My Boy," Light heard the voice say next. It had to be Watari. No one else called Light (or L) 'My Boy.' Watari's voice sounded kind but urgent. He only had that voice if something terrible happened, and with how much his head hurt, Light could only assume that something bad had happened. 

Where was L? If Light was hurt, L should be there unless L was hurt as well. 

With that thought, Light opened his eyes. Light groaned and squinted against the harsh brightness that engulfed his vision. He moved his head to the side. "Watari," Light cleared his throat. It felt like he just woke up and had not drunk anything yet. 

"What is the last thing that you remember?" Watari asked as he helped Light sat up and handed him a glass of water. 

Light took a drink of the water, thinking back on the day. He and L went out as they were taking a few days off after their last case. They went to the aquarium (L's favorite). He was not sure when L's little side started coming out, but soon nibbling on his thumb (knowing that he could not suck his thumb in public) and mumbling about the "fishies." Light had taken L's hand in his own, knowing that little L could wander off at a moment's notice if Light turned his back, and he would rather not have a repeat of Atlanta, thank you very much. 

After they were done at the aquarium, Light had asked L if he wanted to go get ice cream. 

"Yeah, Papa ice c'eam," L had said, a twinkle in his eyes.

"You deserve it. You've been such a good boy today, Elli," Light had said. Light would have sworn that L's smile would have brightened up the world. 

"Fank 'oo, Papa," L had said, giving Light a big hug. 

They had walked out of their little corner (they were there so that no one could interrupt their conversation or hear L's little speech) and walked toward the ice cream shop they frequented when in Japan. 

Then nothing.

Light explained all of this to Watari. The older man looked worried, the lines on his face deepening. 

"What happened, Watari?" Light asked, "where's L?"

"It seems that you and L where attacked while on your outing," Watari explained, "I received a distress signal from L's phone. When I arrived at the location, you were passed out on the ground; L's phone was smashed, and… L is missing."

"What!" Light shouted, standing up quickly. He regretted it when he became dizzy. He felt hands on his shoulder, guiding him back down to sit on the bed. "We have to find him," Light said once he was no longer dizzy. 

"And we will, but first, you need to get well enough to stand," Watari said. Watari was so glad that L had someone in his life that cared about him as much as Light did, but Watari cared about both L and Light as if they were his own, and he could not let one push himself so much for the other that they fell off a ledge. 

Light knew that he could not argue with Watari, so he did not attempt to get back up. But he needed to start to look for L as soon as possible, so he asked, "can you bring me my laptop?" 

"Yes," Watari did just that. 

"Okay, let's find L."

…

"No!" L screamed even though he could hardly get enough air into his lungs to speak, "no mowe, pwea'!" 

The Woman did not listen. She shoved him back down on the board and put the already wet rag over his face. It blinded him and nearly cut off his oxygen. He tried to prepare for what was about to happen, but he could not. He fought back waves of nausea as primal terror overtook him. 

L held his breath for as long as he could as wave after wave of water was poured over his face. His lungs burned. He needed to breathe. His body took over, and he attempted to breathe in. Water filled his nose and mouth. 

Oh, God, oh, God. I'm drowning! I'm drowning! I'm drowning! I'm dying!

The rag was removed from his face, and the Woman dragged him up. L coughed up water while simultaneously taking in precious air. 

"What's Your name," the Woman demanded coldly. 

How many times had she asked that? Twenty, thirty, forty times. L was not sure, but he said the same thing. 

"I L." 

The Woman said nothing to that, pushing him back down on the board. Replacing the rag and the process started again. 

"Your name?" 

"I L." 

And again, he was pushed down, and the rag was replaced.

He was dragged back up. He coughed. 

"Your name?" 

"I L."

And again, he was pushed down.

He was dragged back up. 

"Your name?" 

"I L." 

And again.

He was dragged. 

"Your name?" 

"I L." 

And again.

"Your name." 

"I L." 

And again.

"Your name." 

"I L." 

And again.

"Your name." 

"I L." 

And again.

And again.

And again.

"Your name?" 

L did not say anything for fear that he would slip and say, "I Elliot." 

And again.

And again.

And again.

"This could all end if you just tell me your name," the Woman said, "this could all end. You could get Papa back." 

L whimpered. He wanted his Papa so bad. His Papa would save him and make him feel safe and protected. Papa would give his Pomme and his paci and his blankie and his baby clothes and his diapers and his toys. Papa would snuggle him and rock him and read to him and sing to him. Papa would call him a good boy, and he would be the best boy for his Papa ever if Papa saved him. 

He would do almost anything to get this to stop. But he could not tell the Woman his name. 

L shook his head. The Woman glared at him. 

And again.

And again.

And again.

"You could make this all stop, L. It's just a name." 

But it was not just a name. It was his name. It was dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands. He couldn't.

L shook his head. 

And again.

And again.

And again.

"Your name." 

L shook his head. 

The Woman sighed, "that is enough for now, L." 

She left his legs tied down to the board and left the room. 

L laid down on the board and broke down into tears. His lungs burned, his nose and head hurt so bad. His back hurt. Everything was sore from the beating he received a few days ago. At least L assumed that it was a few days ago. He was so cold. The room was always cold, but the water made it so much worse.

Most of all, his heart hurt so bad. He missed his Papa. He missed his Wawa. He needed them so badly. He was not sure how much longer he could hold on. The baby did not want to give the Woman his name, but he was just a baby. He was not supposed to be hurt like this. He was supposed to have his Papa and Wawa. 

L knew that his big boy side could handle this much better without crying or almost slipping up. He tried to become a big boy, and every time he succeeded, he would soon become a baby again because it was dark, and monsters were hiding in the corners. He hit himself out of frustration and anger at himself at times because he could not make himself a big boy, but he stopped. Hitting would leave marks on him and hurt, and he could see Wawa's sad face when he found out that L gave himself an owie. 

L sniffled as he put his thumb in his mouth. His breathing was back to normal, and he needed to suckle. He wished that he could curl up with his knees to his chest. That made him feel safe, but he could not because of his legs being tied down.

He just wanted to go home. 

"Papa," L croaked out, "save me, pwea'." 

…

Two weeks. L had been missing for two weeks. 

Light's stomach twisted with anxiety. Light and Watari had hardly stopped working since L went missing. Their hard work did not go without progress. They had been able to narrow down the thousands of criminals that had a grudge against L down to half a dozen. 

But it still had been two weeks, and that scared Light to his core. So much could happen in just two weeks. L could be in pain and scared. Someone could be hurting him right now, trying to get information. L could be regressed and crying out for his Papa, and if he was big, he could still be begging for Light to come save him. If L were able to escape, he would have by now. That though spurred images of L being tied down and beaten in a cold and dark room. L hated the cold and the dark. Those phobias were likely to be more traumatizing than the actual pain. 

Light had fallen asleep in front of his laptop several times and woke sore all over. He found himself wondering how L fell asleep in his chair in the past. He pushed past it, however, consuming more coffee than he ever did. 

He needed to find L. 

Light, however, was reaching a roadblock. No, he could not. He narrowed down the suspects this far. There was no way that they could reach a roadblock. He needed to find L. 

"Perhaps you should take a break and come back to it when you have fresh eyes," Watari said, recalling the amount of time he had to say something similar to L. His heart ached as he thought of L. Please be safe and alive, my son.

"Perhaps," Light said. He had been up for two days straight, and he was exhausted, but, "I need to find L." 

"I know," Watari said, "I want to find L just as much as you do, but we will not be able to find him if we cannot think clearly." 

Watari was right; Light knew that. A few months after the Kira case, Light started to suspect that Watari was always right, and after four years, Light knew that Watari was always right. That did not mean that Light always wanted to listen to Watari.

"Come, My Boy, you need rest. I will wake you up in a few hours," Watari promised. 

Light nodded, not saying anything as he removed himself from his laptop for the first time in two days. He walked over to the couch and laid down. He was out not even a few seconds later. 

…

L was curled up as tight as he could in his safe corner. It was so cold. It felt like the arctic. L shivered so hard that his teeth clattered. His toes were numb, no matter how close he brought his feet to the core of his body. His fingers were also numb, though he had his hands stuffed under his arms. His nose and cheeks ears were icy. 

L hated the cold. It made old injuries to act up. His right shoulder was tense and achy from a gunshot wound when he was sixteen. L whimpered as he remembered that. It had hurt so much, L thought that he was going to die. If Wawa did not find him when he did, he might have. Wawa had looked so worried and sad. Several of his scars also hurt, and L tried to squirm into a more comfortable position, but he could not. The concrete was freezing. 

His throat felt sore and dry, both from the cold air and lack of water. He was not sure the last time the Woman gave him water to drink or food. His tummy hurt, and he felt empty, and he knew it must have been days. 

"Owie," L whimpered when his tummy got a pain-filled grumble. He curled up further. 

L shook hard, a chill going down his spine. 

It was so cold. 

L closed his eyes and tried to imagine warm things. Beaches that he and his Papa would go to, his blankie, Papa's arms, and the fireplace at home. They were all so warm. L wished that he had those things. 

If he had those things, Papa and he would be in front of the fireplace on the couch. He would be in Papa's lap, snuggling with him. Papa would have his arms wrapped around him tight, and he would have his blankie over him, and he would be so warm. He would hug Pomme to his chest, and he would have his paci. Or baba, a milk baba sounded nice. It would be warm. 

"Hi, there, Baby Boy," Papa would say, running his hand through his hair. It would feel so good. He would snuggle into Papa as an answer. He would not be able to talk because of his baba. There were times when he was super little that he would not be able to talk much, aside from a few words. "Papa," "Wawa," "Paci," "Baba." everything else was communicated through noises (giggles, squeals, whines, and cries) and body language (grabby hands, snuggling, and shaking his head.) 

He felt super little. 

L sighed happily and suckled on his bottle. 

Soon, too soon, Papa took his baba out of his mouth. L whimpered, taking his arms out of his blankie and making grabby hands toward his bottle. Papa took the bottle out of his reach. 

"It's all gone, Sweet Boy," Papa explained as he put L's bottle to the side. 

L whined. That was not fair.

"Don't fuss at me, L," Light scolded gently, "tell Papa what you want." 

L whimpered, tears entering his eyes. He wanted to tell Papa what he wanted, but he was too little. "Papa," L pouted, looking up at his Papa with big eyes, hoping that his Papa would understand. 

"Oh," Papa's face held understanding in it, "it's a tiny day, isn't it?" 

L nodded, sticking his thumb in his mouth. He was happy that his Papa understood. 

"That's okay, my Baby Boy," Light said, pulling his blankie up so that it covered L's shoulders, "be as tiny as you want." Papa then retrieved L's pacifier and replaced his thumb with the pacifier. L hummed in appreciation. He loved his pacifiers!

Here safe in his Papa's arms, warm because of the flame in the fireplace and his blankie, and safe because of his Pomme and paci, and most of all, his Papa. He wanted to stay here forever. 

"Wov's Papa," L mumbled, rubbing his cheek against Papa's chest. 

"Love you too, Baby," Papa said, kissing the top of his head. 

L was dragged out of his fantasy by a harsh slam. The baby was suddenly freezing once again. All of the safety and warmth that came from his fantasy was shattered. L felt tears enter his eyes. The Woman was walking into the room again, a bag in one hand, and she was dragging a chair behind her. L was shaking, but not just from the cold. The chair meant that she was going to hit him over and over again with both her hands and objects. L hoped that she would use the belt. It hurt the least. 

"Ready?" the Woman asked, placing the chair in the middle of the room. 

Tears fell from L's eyes, and he shook his head. Words had been lost on him for a long time. 

The Woman scoffed and snatched him up. L tried to fight. He really did, but he was too weak to truly fight back. She made an irritated noise and pushed him onto the chair. L squirmed, but the Woman tied his arms and legs to the chair. L shook harder, body out of his control, as more of the cold air touched him now that he was not curled up. He wished that he could bring his knees to his chest. That made him feel better. Sitting like this felt unnatural. 

The Woman pulled out a metal pipe. 

L tensed and prepared for the pain.

…

Light knew who kidnapped L. Well, who ordered the kidnapping of L. Hisao Ishihara. Six months ago, he was released from Fuchū Prison because his sentence was up. Since then, he had settled in Tokyo, just twenty miles from their home. 

He had a motive for wanting to hurt L. His brother was high ranking in a criminal empire that L brought to its knees. When police attempted to arrest Ishihara's brother, he pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot at the officer. The officer shot back and ended up killing Ishihara's brother. 

When Ishihara arrived at the scene, he attacked the officer that killed his brother and ended up in jail for three years because of it. While in prison, Ishihara apparently threatened L multiple times, blaming L for his brother's death. He threatened to kill L if he ever got his hands on him. He said he wanted to figure out L's name so that he could reveal it to the criminals who hated L. He wanted L to live in fear and not know when a criminal could kill him now that they knew his name. He wanted one of those criminals to do his dirty work. 

Light looked into it more, as it turned out, Ishihara transferred over 20,000,000 yen to a woman named Airi Yamamoto. She was skilled in "enhanced interrogation" and interrogated people for information for a price. 

This information was simultaneously relieving and terrifying. Relieving because it meant that L was not dead because they wanted information out of him, and because he must not have given away his name yet if he was still missing. It was terrifying because all of his nightmares about L being trapped in a cold and dark room being beaten and tortured were more than likely true. 

"I'm going to save you, Baby," Light said to a picture of him and L, stroking the picture of L. 

He could not wait until he could have L back in his arms after nearly a month. He was going to find where Ishihara and Airi were hiding L.

Light put down the picture of him and L and started to work again.

…

L was curled up in his safe corner. The room was just a bearable level of cold. Everything was sore, and his tummy hurt from the Woman hitting it over and over again and from hunger. He was trying not to think of anything, but that was hard. He kept thinking of Papa and Wawa, but then he would get all sad because he did not have Papa or Wawa.

L had no idea how long he had been sitting there, trying not to think of Papa or Wawa and hoping that the Woman would not come back today. Then, he heard a loud alarm. L whined, covering his ears and rocking back and forth. He did not like the loud noise, and it made tears enter his eyes. Was this another form of torture? How had the Woman figured out that he was sensitive to loud noise? 

Just as fast as the noise came, it went away. L did not uncover his ears, too scared that the alarm would come back. 

Even though he had his ears covered, he could hear the door open. L whimpered. He did not want to look up to see the Woman and whatever methods of torture that she would bring with her. 

"L," he heard someone say. L's head popped up when he recognized the voice. It sounded like Papa. When he saw an auburn-haired man rushing toward him, L realized that it was his Papa. Papa was here. Papa was here and was going to save him. 

"Papa!" L shouted, lifting his arms up. He wanted his Papa to hold him. He needed to feel his Papa's arm around him. 

Light dropped to his knees and gathered his baby in his arms. He needed to feel L in his arms, needed to know that this was real.

"Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa," he heard L mutter against his shoulder again and again. He felt tears soak into his shirt, and Light knew that if he did not need to be strong for L, that he would break down as well. 

"I'm right here, Baby Boy. I'm right here. Papa's here," Light rambled into L's ear, running his fingers through L's greasy hair. L had obviously lost a lot of weight that he could not afford to lose. He had bruises on his face and hands, and no doubt other injuries all over his body that Light could not see. L was not the same clothing that he went missing in over a month ago. His shirt was stained with blood and other substances that Light did not want to know. 

But he was alive, he was fucking alive, and Light had him now. 

"Okay, Baby, we have to go now. Let's go home," Light said, picking the baby up. L whimpered as the change in position as it aggravated his injuries, but he was not going to complain. He had Papa, and he was going home. He was finally going home. Happy tears fell down L's cheeks. 

"Home," L repeated, burying his face in his Papa's neck, "Wawa?" 

"Yeah," Light smiled, rushing out of the room with L in his arms, "we'll see Wawa." 

L relaxed completely against his Papa, closing his eyes. 

He was going home.


	2. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the torture that L went through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was 20 pages on Google Docs... I feel like that should be known.

"Papa, no go," L whimpered as Papa put him down. They were on a plane now, and Papa said that Wawa was flying it. They were going home, but he did not want his Papa to let him go. He did not want Papa to go bye-bye, "no go pwea."

"I'm not going anywhere, Baby," Light assured, taking L's bony (emaciated) hands in his own as the baby reached out for him, "Papa's gonna get you some clean clothes and a diaper, okay. Papa'll be right back."

L whimpered but let his Papa go. He watched as his Papa gathered the things that he would need like a hawk. He got a diaper with diaper supplies and a plain red shirt and grey sweatpants. He then walked back over to the baby along the way, picking up Pomme. 

"Pomme," L squealed, reaching for her. 

Light smile, "yeah, Baby. We got your Pomme," he handed the baby his toy. L held her tightly to his chest. He missed Pomme too and was so happy to have her back.

"Lay down, Baby," Light said gently, pushing down on the baby's shoulders. L did not protest. He wanted out of his yucky clothes. He wanted to be clean, but that would mean water, and L shook at that thought. 

"It's okay, Elli, I gotcha," Light lovingly ran his hand up and down L's arm. L relaxed at the nickname and sucked his thumb in his mouth. 

Light did not comment on L sucking his thumb for once but did ask him to "lift up, Baby Boy." 

L listened. He stopped being embarrassed by diaper changes years ago, as they were normal now. Light hissed as he pulled down L's pans to reveal a diaper rash. It was mostly pink but bright red in some places. Light could not say that he was surprised by the rash and was expecting it to be worse if he did have one. 

"Looks like you have a little bit of a diaper rash, Baby," Light said, getting the rash cream and wipes.

"Haded bucket. Can't make it when tied down and too scared. Haded accidents," L admitted, rubbing his feet together. 

"It's okay, I'll take care of you," Light assured, wiping the baby's bottom, sick to his stomach at that admission. 

The baby whined, squirming away from the wipe when it stung his skin, worrying Pomme's ear, "ouchie Papa." 

"I know. I know," Light assured, "It's okay. I'm gonna make it all better." 

"Alw, bettw?" L asked, looking at his Papa with trusting eyes. He knew that his Papa was telling the truth. 

"Yes, Baby, I'll make you all better," Light promised, applying the cream to the rash and the areas likely to develop rashes. He then put the diaper on L. 

Light then looked at L's legs for injuries. There were a few cuts and bruises, and his ankles had rope burn around them, probably from being tied down.

"I'm so sorry, Sweet Boy," Light whispered, putting L's pants on, making sure that the bottom did not touch the burns. 

"Notta youw fauw," L said, sitting up to pat his Papa's face. 

Light smiled at his baby's attempt to comfort him, "thank you, Sweet Baby," taking L's hand in his own and kissing his knuckles, avoiding the bruises and cuts- defensive wounds. So, L tried to fight back. That did not surprise Light in the slightest. L, even when regressed, was too stubborn to just sit back while getting hurt without fighting back. Fighting back was more than likely why Airi tied him up. Light sighed. He wanted to kill the people who dared hurt L, and nothing would stop him. 

"Papa mad?" L whispered, looking into Papa's eyes. 

"Yes, Papa is very mad," Light said. Long ago, they agreed to always tell the truth to each other, especially when it came to emotions. Light leaned in and kissed L's forehead, "I'm not mad at you though," L always assumed that people were mad at him, "I'm mad at the people who hurt you." 

"I's scawed," L said, leaning in closer to his Papa. 

"I know, Sweet Boy," Light said, rubbing his cheek, "but you have nothing to be scared of, Baby Boy. I have you, and the bad people are going away for a very, very long time. They can't hurt you anymore." 

"I's knows," L said, leaning into his Papa and snuggling into his Papa. His Papa would protect him.

Light held his baby gently, "okay, let's change your shirt and then get a baba, alright?" 

"Yeah," L said, not making a move to get off his Papa, "wants baba. I hun'gy."

Light could not imagine the amount of hunger L was feeling. He never had to go without food and knew that L had to multiple times throughout his life. Light would get him better, however. He would help L heal and make him feel safe. No one would hurt L again.

"Shirt first, okay, Baby?" L pouted and whimpered. He was hungry. 

"Shirt first, then baba," Light said, pulling L's filthy shirt over his head, knowing that L would get upset if he pushed off the bottle for too much longer. Light looked at L's chest and stomach. They were littered with bruises and cuts. Several of the cuts looked infected. Light could see all of his ribs, instead of just vague outlines like normal. His arms were also littered with cuts and bruises, especially around his wrists and hands. Watari had already called a doctor to look at L so that they did not have to go to a hospital unless necessary. 

"Baba now?" L asked, "pwea'?"

"Yes, Baby," Light said, picking up L. He did not want to let his baby go. "Let's get you a baba. First, the bottle," Light narrated, picking up the bottle that he and Watari brought just in case L was little, "can you hold that for me?" 

"Yeah," L whispered, taking the bottle from Light's hand.

"Okay, Watari brought Ensure for you," Light explained, hoping that L would be able to keep down the liquid. If not, they would need to get a feeding tube in him, and Light knew that L would cry if that happened. He would do anything to prevent L from crying. 

"Sees Wawa?" L asked, brightening up at the thought of seeing Watari. He wanted to see Watari. 

"Yeah, let's get the baba, then we can go see Wawa," Light promised. 

L nodded in agreement. 

"Okay, hold the bottle up for Papa," Light asked, guiding the baby's hand so that he was holding it so Light could pour the drink into the bottle, "thank you, Sweet Boy." 

As soon as Light was done skewing the lid on the bottle, the baby stuck it in his mouth. Normally, Light would not let L drink while carrying him, but he did not care this time. He carried L to the front of the plane, where Watari was. 

"Someone wanted to see you," Light announced as he entered the cockpit. 

"Wawa!" L exclaimed, waving at the older man. 

Watari turned to look at L with a broad smile, "Hello, Little One." 

L waved again, then pointed at the chair next to Watari's chair, "sit thewe, pwea'."

"Of course," Light said, sitting next to Watari. It was hard to sit together on the chair, but Light made it work.

"Wawa hand pwea," L asked passed his baba, reaching out for Watari to take his hand. He needed to feel his Wawa too. He needed to know that both his Papa and his Wawa were there with him and would not go bye-bye. 

Watari took his hand without a word, squeezing gently. L made a noise of contentment and closed his eyes. He was sleepy and felt warm, and just wanted to drink his bottle then go night night. 

"All done, Sweet Boy," Light said once L drank all of his bottle. L whimpered, reaching out with his free hand. He was still hungry.

"All done," Light said firmly, "let your tummy settle." 

"Try to rest, Little One," Watari suggested, rubbing circles on the back of L's hand.

L hummed, holding Pomme tighter to his chest and snuggling into his Papa's chest, "paci," he mumbled. 

"Here, Baby Boy," Light said, taking the pacifier out of his jacket (where one always stayed just in case) and pressing it against L's lips. 

L accepted his paci with a hum of satisfaction. 

The baby was asleep within a few seconds.

…

"I no wants doctow," L whimpered, squirming in his Papa's arms, trying to get away. He was not sure where he would go, but he would go somewhere where he did not have to go to the doctor. With his Papa still in sight. He could not be away from his Papa. 

"I know, Baby," Light said, "but you need someone to check you out. If you don't, you could have owies that we don't know about. Then they could get worse." 

"I no wan' w'ose owies," L whined, holding Pomme tightly to his chest. He had a bunch of owies already, and they hurt. He did not want them to hurt any worse. 

"That's why you need to let the doctor see you. It's Dr. Sato, you know her," Light assured, and L did. Dr. Sato was the only doctor that Watari trusted to look after L when he was sick or injured. Since he was a teenager, she had known him, and she found out about his little space when L was sick with pneumonia a few years ago. Dr. Sato never judged and knew how to work with him when he was little and anxious about seeing her, and when he was big and being stubborn. 

L whimpered and buried his face in Papa's shoulder. He knew that Papa was right, but that did not mean that he had to like it. "Papa stay?" L begged, holding his Papa tighter. 

"Yes," Light assured as he walked into the medical room, "Papa'll stay. Do you want to sit in Papa's lap?" 

L nodded, squirming to get in a comfortable position, "woves Papa." 

"Love you too, my Sweet Boy," Light said, kissing the top of L's head and rocking the baby gently, "Papa loves you so much." 

"Bestest Papa evews," L said as if it were common fact. For L, it was. 

Light smiled, "you're the bestest baby ever," Light felt L smile against him. 

"Papa says stowy, pwea," L asked after a few minutes of playing with Pomme in silence. He missed his Papa's stories. Papa had the best reading voice, and he would make up stories. They were funny. 

"Which story do you want?" Light asked. 

"Makes one, Papa?" L asked.

"Sure," Light thought for a second, "once upon a time…" 

Light continued to tell the story of a little prince who had to fight a mean dragon to save the kingdom. 

Then there was a knock at the door, and the door opened to reveal Dr. Sato. She was an older woman in her fifties, with white hair and brown eyes. She was a thin, short woman, but she was surprisingly strong for her age and height. She wore a kind smile, even when L whined and hid from her. 

"If I were you, I wouldn't wanna see me either," Dr. Sato joked, walking over to the baby and caregiver. 

Light bounced L on his knees to soothe him. 

"So, your Watari told me that you got a few boo-boos that I need to look at," Dr. Sato said, looking at L with sympathy in her eyes. 

"W-wots owies," L whimpered, coming out of his hiding spot.

"Can I look at them," Dr. Sato asked, "I can try to make them all better."

L looked up at his Papa with worried eyes. He knew that Dr. Sato would not hurt him. She only ever made him feel better, but that did not stop the baby from becoming nervous. 

"It's okay, Baby," Light whispered in his ear, "I gotcha. Let Dr. Sato have a look." 

L nodded, pressing deeper into his Papa, "otay." 

"Good," Dr. Sato praised with a smile. L attempted a small smile back, but it was blocked by his pacifier. 

"Now, I need to look at your legs, and your tummy and chest," Dr. Sato explained, "so, which one first legs or tummy?" 

"Uhh," L thought of that for a couple of seconds. He knew that his tummy and chest had more owies than his legs, and it would take longer to look at, so he chose "wegs." 

"Okay, we can do that first," Dr. Sato, "can I help Papa pull off your pants?" 

L nodded, stretching his legs out, and Light sighed in relief that L was being cooperative. There were times that he could be downright mean to Dr. Sato, and depending on the reason, it usually ended with a timeout and a firm talking to.

"Good boy," Light praised, kissing the top of L's head. 

Dr. Sato looked at his legs, noting the bruises and cuts, but luckily none of them looked infected. Most of the cuts were closed up and did not require extra care aside from making sure that L did not pick at them, which would be a battle between L and Light, she was sure. 

"Looks like there are burns on your ankles," Dr. Sato noted. 

"Tieded down," L whispered, and Light felt his heart clench at the admission once again. 

"Okay," Dr. Sato said, nodding in understanding, "It burns, doesn't it?" 

L nodded, "huwts." 

"Let's get these cleaned up and some aloe on them. Then we can wrap them," the doctor said. She gathered what she would need. She stood where she would not risk getting kicked. L did not normally attack her, but she knew after such trauma, he could turn violent. 

L winced and hissed when she touched his burn with the aloe. It stung a little when first applied, but soon the cooling effect kicked in, chasing away the burning. 

"Shh, Baby, you're okay," Light assured, holding him a little tighter. 

"Papa," L said, hanging his head back so that he could see his Papa. L smiled. Papa looked silly upside down. 

Papa smiled back down at him and rubbed his cheek, "right here, Baby Boy." 

L rubbed Papa's face, "sees Papa." 

Light chuckled. God, he missed his cute baby boy so much.

"All done, Bubba," Dr. Sato called. L looked down at his feet to see that the doctor had wrapped his burns up. L moved his feet around a little, finding that it felt funny because of the bandages, so he stopped moving them. 

"Can I look at your tummy and chest now?" Dr. Sato asked. 

"Huwts," L whimpered, worrying the hem of his shirt. 

"That's why I need to look at them," Dr. Sato explained, "I don't want hurt anymore. So can I please have a look?"

"No mowe owwies?" L whimpered.

"I promise not to hurt you anymore," Dr. Sato promised, knowing that his chest and stomach must be much more injured than his legs if he was acting like this. 

"O-otay," L stammered with a tiny nod, "Papa does it." 

"Okay, lift your arms, Sweetheart," Light said, taking off his shirt. 

If Dr. Sato was not a professional, she would have winced. L's stomach was littered with bruises, many of them in different stages of healing. Her first thought was internal bleeding, though he was up and talking normally and was not complaining of dizziness. 

"Can you lay down?" Dr. Sato asked the baby.

"Why?" L whimpered, though his Papa was already pushing him down so that his head was on his Papa's lap. He held his Papa's hand with one hand and held his Pomme with his other arm. 

"I'm going to feel around your tummy to check for internal bleeding," Dr. Sato said. 

L whined and shook his head, "no, pwea. Don' wan' owie." 

"I know, I know," Dr. Sato said sympathetically, "but if you have internal bleeding, then you could get a really big owie later. I promise to be as gentle as possible." 

"Squeeze Papa's hand if it hurts, Baby Boy," Light suggested. 

L took a shaky breath. He did not want the doctor to touch his tummy, but the sooner he let her, the sooner it would all be over. He nodded.

Dr. Sato felt around L's tummy, being as gentle as possible while checking for any signs of bleeding. When she pressed down on a particularly sensitive bruise, L jumped and tried to push her hands away, "owie, no." 

"No," Light scolded, grasping L's hand, "squeeze Papa's hand, Baby Boy. Squeeze Papa's hand." 

L listened to his Papa and held his Papa's hand tightly and whimpered. 

"Shh, Baby Boy," Light cooed, running his hand through L's hair, "everything's okay. I gotcha. Take a deep breath." L took a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth a few times, "there you go, Baby. Good boy." 

"All done, Babba," Dr. Sato said, "so there are no signs of internal bleeding, but these bruises are pretty bad, and a few of these lacerations are infected. So, I'll give you Vitamin K cream to promote healing, an antibiotic, and I'll suggest a warm bath," she smiled at L, knowing how much he enjoyed baths. The baby whimpered and tensed at the words. He didn't want the water. 

Light looked down at his baby with concern in his eyes. L was normally excited when someone mentioned a bath and would ask to go take one. He loved baths, and if that bitch did anything to ruin baths for his baby…

Light was brought out of his murderous thoughts when Sato said she wanted to listen to L's lungs and heart. 

"I's wisten?" L asked. He loved listening to his heartbeat. 

"Yes, but let me listen first, okay?" Dr. Sato asked.

"'Tay," L said with a nod.

Dr. Sota listened to L's heart and lungs, and everything was normal, "do you want to listen to your heart?" 

L smiled, "yeah," the baby reached for the stethoscope. Dr. Sota helped L put the earpieces in so that he could hear his heart. L smiled widely as he heard the "lub dub" of heart.

"Wisten a Papa's," L said, holding up the stethoscope to his Papa's chest. 

Light smiled as L giggled, "is my heart funny, Baby?" 

L nodded. 

The rest of the doctor's appointment went smoothly from there. She looked at L's arms, which were in a similar state to his chest and tummy, and his hands, wrapping his wrists because they had similar burns to his ankles. She suggested that they start small when it came to food—purees and other easy to digest foods as well as plenty of liquids. 

"Fank 'oo, Doctow," L said, waving goodbye to Dr. Sato as his Papa carried him out of the room.

…

After the doctor's visit, L and Light went up to their apartment. Light was able to get L to eat some applesauce and, now thirty minutes later, Light was confident that L would keep it down. 

L was surprisingly calm, content to watch cartoons while sitting in Light's lap. Light was expecting a lot more crying and maybe a tantrum or two, and he was grateful that they were not happening and that L was calm (he needed all the rest that he could get). Still, this felt like the calm before the storm. Light knew that there was no way that L was going to jump back after everything that he just went through. Nobody, not even someone as strong as L, could come out of that torture unscathed. 

"How about a bath, Sweet Boy," Light asked, caution in his tone. He remembered his reaction to the word bath before. 

L's eyes widened and filled with tears, and he started to shake, "no, Papa," L said, voice trembling. He did not want the water. The water would enter his mouth and nose and his lungs. He would drown. L could already feel the water coming over him. 

'No, no, no. I don't wanna die.'

"Hey, hey, Baby, calm down," Light said when L started to panic, tears streaming down his face, "take a deep breath for Papa." 

"Papa," L whimpered, clinging to his Papa's shirt and suckling his paci harder, "no wan' baf." 

"Why not, you love baths?" Light said, running a hand through L's hair. 

"No!" L shouted, suddenly becoming angry that his Papa did not understand. He could do the water, "no baf!"

Light did the only thing that he could think of to calm the now sobbing bundle in his arms. He hugged him as tightly as his injuries would allow and rocked him back and forth. He ran a hand through his hair, scratching his scalp gently, and patted his back. 

"Shh, Baby," Light cooed, "there's no need to shout. Just talk to Papa, tell him what's wrong so that he can fix it." 

L felt the anger melt away at the gentle touch and words, replaced by bone-chilling fear and heart-clenching sadness. He sobbed into his Papa's chest. 

"No, baf, Papa," L cried, "pwea' no baf." 

"You gotta let me why, Baby Boy," Light said, "why are you so scared of the bath?"

"The Woman. She pouwed wa'ew on me. Covewed face. No b'eath, Papa. Dwownin'! No, wanna die!" L's rambles gave way to panicked sobs. 

Airi waterboarded L. That was the only explanation that Light could give to L's words. Light felt anger course through him at the new information but pushed it down. Agner would not help this situation. He could take his anger out on something later (preferably the criminal that hurt L). Right now, he needed to focus on L and convince him that the bath was not going to hurt him. 

"Shh, shh, Baby," Light whispered into L's ear, "listen to Papa. Calm down so that you can listen to Papa." 

L took a bunch of deep breaths and snuggled as close to Papa as he could, trying to calm down so he could listen. 

"Good boy," Light cooed, "such a good boy." 

After a few minutes of quiet, Light said, "the water can't hurt you, Sweet Boy," L whimpered, "shh, listen. The water can't hurt you because I won't let it. You trust Papa, right?" 

"Twust Papa," L nodded. Of course, he trusted Papa. 

"And you know that Papa'll never hurt you, right," Light said, and L nodded in response, "then the water can't hurt you because I won't use it to hurt you. I'll use it to help you." 

"B-But wa'ew hurt. No b'eath," L whimpered. He could not get the feeling of water filling his lungs out of his head. 

"Yes, water can be used to hurt, Baby," Light was not going to deny that because it would only make L move upset, "but it can also be used to help. A warm bath will help you relax and help your owies feel better." 

"Owies feew bettew?" L asked. 

"Yes, baby," Light said, "It'll help. So, can you try?" when L still looked hesitant, Light added, "for Papa?" 

L whimpered but nodded, "I twy," he wanted his owies to feel better, and if he was with Papa, nothing bad could happen. 

"Good boy," Light praised, kissing L's cheek. Light lifted the baby up to carry him to the bathroom. L clung to his Papa and buried his face in Papa's chest. He kept his breathing normal, so he could stay calm. He wanted to be brave for his Papa. 

"I'm going to turn the water on, then we can pick out some jammies. How's that sound?" Light asked. 

L nodded, not trusting his voice. Light turned the water on, not missing L tensing up. Okay, they would need to take this slow. 

"Let's get you some jammies, okay?" Light asked, carrying L to the back of his closet. He still had several outfits and diapers and toys in this closet. Most of L's baby things were in the nursery. 

"What do you wanna wear?" Light asked. 

"I gets blue," L asked, pointing to the fuzzy blue sleeper. 

"Okay, Baby," Light responded, "do you want some toys?" 

"Yeah," L smiled, "duckies and cway'ns?" 

"Sure, Sweet Boy," Light said, getting the toys the baby wanted and a diaper and other things that he would need for a bath. Light then went back to the bathroom and turned off the bathwater. "Okay, Sweet Boy, let's get these clothes off." 

L nodded, looking at the tub full of water nervously. Once his clothes and diaper were all gone, and Papa carried him toward the bath. L whined, clinging to his Papa, but Papa did not place him in the water yet. He dropped down next to the tub. 

"Reach out, Baby," Light said, "touch the water." 

L took a shaky breath but listened to his Papa. He touched the water. As soon as the warm water touched his fingers, L jerked his hand back. 

"Good job, Baby," Light said with a smile, rubbing up and down L's side, "see, the water won't hurt. Can you touch it again?"

L nodded, touching the water. This time he kept his hand there. The baby liked the warmth of the water. He splashed the water gently, smiling as the water jumped up. The baby moved so that he was leaning over the tub.

"Good boy," Light praised, kissing L's head, "use the other hand now." 

"Otay," L said, letting Light guide his other hand into the water.

After a few minutes of L playing in the tub, Light asked, "do you wanna get in now?" 

"Wif Papa?" L asked, not sure if he could handle the water all by himself. 

"Sure, Sweet Boy," Light said. This would not be the first time they took a bath together, and he would not let his baby face this new fear alone. So, Light shed his clothes, throwing them into a pile with L's. "Are you ready now?" Light asked. 

L simply nodded, reaching out to his Papa. he needed his Papa to hold him. 

"Aww, c'mere, Baby," Light cooed, picking the baby up and holding him securely to his chest, "In we go." 

L whimpered, squirming to get closer to his Papa as they sat down. Warm water lapped at his skin, and he shuttered. 

"Good boy," Light praised, "such a brave boy." 

"Papa," L whimpered, moving so that he could hear his Papa's heart. It soothed him. 

"Right here, Baby Boy," Light assured, "Papa's right here. I'll always be here." 

L simply relaxed against his Papa, playing with his duckie. He took a purple crayon and wrote, 'L LOVES PAPA' on the wall. 

Light chuckled at the writing, "I love you too, Baby."

L smiled and snuggled into his Papa's chest further. He continued to play for a few minutes. Papa was right. The water did help soothe the ache in his muscles and chase away the hurt in all his owies. The water was helping. 

"Okay, Sweetheart," Light said after about fifteen minutes of L playing, "we need to get you all clean. Hair or body first?" 

"Body," L answered at once. He did not know if he could handle the water over his head. Maybe he could talk Papa out of it. 

Soon, too soon for L, Light was done washing L's body. 

"There we go," Light smiled, "all nice and clean."

"Let's wash your hair now." 

"No," L whimpered, "no wash haiw."

"Yes," Light said firmly, "Your hair's all yucky. We need to wash it." 

"But," L squirmed so that he could look at Papa with tear-filled, pleading eyes, "don' wan' wa'ew ovew head. Don' wan' it." 

Light caught L's tears with his thumb, "I know, Baby, but we have to wash. I promise I'll be over as fast as possible. Just lean your head back."

L whimpered, more tears joining the ones already on his cheeks, but he listened to his Papa, leaning his head back. L felt the water cascade over his head, the baby tried to stay calm for Papa, but as soon as the water touched his face, L started to panic. He felt water enter his lungs. No, no, no!

"Stop!" L shouted, "no mowe." 

Light reached out to pull his baby close, "shh, Baby Boy, Papa's got you." Thankfully, L calmed down easily. Light poured L's baby shampoo into his hand and gently massaged it into the baby's hair. L hummed and closed his eyes at the feeling. At least that has not changed, Light though to himself.

"Okay, Baby, lean back for Papa," Light said. When L whimpered, Light said, "it's okay, Baby Boy. It'll be quick."

L whined but listened, leaning back. He leaned his head back. As soon as he felt the water over his head, panic seized his heart, but he stayed still. It will be over soon. 

"Good job, Baby," Light praised, "one more time, and everything will be all done, okay." 

"Otay," L whimpered. 

Light poured the water over L's head one more time. 

"All done, Papa," L begged, "I all done, Papa, pwea'. Wan' out." 

"We can get out now, Baby," Light said, brushing L's wet hair from his face. He lifted L up and out of the bath. 

"You did so good," Light praised, as he dried the baby off, "Papa's so proud of you." 

"Made Papa pwoud," L asked, shyly looking at the ground. He loved making his Papa proud

"Yes, you made me so proud," Light said, "such a brave baby." 

Light finished drying and diapering the baby before saying, "let me get your medicine on you, then we can get dressed and cuddle on the couch." 

"Movie?" L asked, "'nd juice?" 

"Yeah, we can watch a movie, and I'll get you some juice," Light promised, wrapping L's ankles after applying aloe on his bruns. 

"Appa juice," L said. 

"Yes, Baby," Light chuckled, spreading the vitamin K cream on the bruises L's tummy and arms and legs, "what movie do you want?" 

"Uhh," L thought through the movies that they had, "wants Lion King."

"Then Lion King it is," Light said, helping L into his sleeper once the ointment dried, "but first Papa needs to get clothes on." 

L giggled, "no nakey Papa." 

"No, we don't want nakey Papa," Light chuckled, gently tickling L's sides. 

"No," L squealed, "no ticka' monsta!" 

"Okay," Light said, "gotta be gentle with baby, don't I?" 

"Gentles," L nodded. The baby rested his head against his Papa's chest when Papa lifted him up on his hip. 

"Stay put," Light said, placing the baby outside of his closet where L should be able to see him. The baby nodded. 

L looked at his Papa as he put on underwear and a pair of grey sweatpants. Papa then walked into a corner of the closet, and L could not see him. L's heart started to pound, and he whimpered. "Papa!" 

"Papa's right in here, Baby Boy!" Light shouted back, "Papa's just getting a shirt, and he'll be right out." 

L whimpered and suckled on his pacifier a little harder. His heart was still beating hard, and it was getting hard to breathe. He needed to see his Papa. So, L moved so that he was on his hands and knees and crawled into the closet. As soon as he could see his Papa, his heart calmed down, and it was much easier to breathe. 

"Hey, Baby," Light said when he turned to see that L was now in his closet, "what happened to staying put?" 

"No see Papa," L explained as Papa lifted him again, "got newvous." 

"Aww, Baby," Light kissed L's forehead, "it's okay. Papa's right here, and he's not going anywhere."

"Papa pwomise?" L asked. 

"Yes, Papa promises," Light said, "let's go get that juice and movie now." 

"Yeah," L smiled.

…

Unsurprisingly, it did not take L long to fall asleep. 

A couple hours later, Watari walked into their apartment. 

"How is he?" Watari asked. 

"Better than I thought he would be," Light said, looking down at the sleeping bundle on his lap, "his separation anxiety has gotten worse. I can hardly put him down." 

"Well, let's hope that gets better in time," Watari said, coming to sit down next to his boys. 

"Watari, uh," Light hesitated in asking. 

"What is it, my boy?" Watari prompted. 

"Is there any evidence that L was waterboarded?" Light asked, "when I asked if he wanted to take a bath, he said something that made it sound like he was, and when I washed his hair, he nearly had a panic attack." 

"Yes," Watari sighed, "Yamamoto went into detail about how she tortured L, and waterboarding was one of them." 

"What else did she do?" Light whispered, holding onto L tighter. 

"You do not need to know the details," Watari said, "but she admitted to other types of water torture, beating him, and temperature torture." 

"I want them dead," Light growled. L groaned in his sleep, apparently able to sense that his Papa was upset, and squirmed in Light's arms. 

"As do I," Watari said, "Ishihara did commit suicide, and Yamamoto will go away for life. We will not have to worry about them anymore."

"That's a relief," Light sighed, looking down at his baby again. 

"He will be okay," Watari said. Light looked at Watari, "it might take a while, and I'm not letting him work a case for a while, but he will be okay." 

…

Watari was right. Six months after L's ordeal, L and Light were leaving for their first case. They could not be more relieved. It took three weeks for L to come out of Little Space, and even then, it was only for a short amount of time. It took about a month and a half for him to stay out of Little Space for any amount of time. Even now, he spent more time in Little Space than he did before the ordeal, but Light did not mind, knowing that he needed to heal, and he could only do that if he was little. 

The nightmares started three days after he was rescued, and he had them almost every night for a month. He would wake up in a cold sweat, shouting either "Papa!" or "Light," depending on what headspace he was in. The nightmares, thankfully, slowed down. Nearly four months after the rescue, the nightmares about Airi were reduced to once a week. Now, they were few and far between. 

L was still slightly clingy, but it was nothing like the separation anxiety he was going through when he first got home. He would cry and cry if Light left the room. Even in big space, he would be so anxious when Light left that he would nearly have a panic attack, if not have one. After a month of this, Watari came up with a plan. Once a week, Light would leave the tower for thirty minutes. In that time, Watari would be with L to make sure that the young man did not freak out too much. L nearly did have a panic attack, but, thankfully, the thirty minutes had been up, and Light entered the tower.

"Light!" L had shouted once he saw the younger man, attacking him in a hug. 

"Hey, Elli. I'm right here. I gotcha," Light had assured, picking the man up and sitting in his chair with L in his lap. Light rocked and rubbed his back. He hated the tremors he felt. 

"This is stupid," L had sniffled, "I hate this." 

"I know," Light had said, "but we're here for you, Babe. I'll figure this out, okay."

And they did figure it out, the next week was a little better, and the next week it was even better. He kept getting better until Light could leave the tower for an hour while L contently worked on cases. Watari did not even need to be in the room with him. 

"Let's go, L," Light said, after putting their suitcases into the plane, "you ready, Babe?"

"Yeah," L said in a voice just barely above a whisper. 

Light cocked his head at the tone. He wrapped an arm around L's shoulders, "are you okay, L?" 

"Yes," L nodded, leaning into Light, "I'm okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all have a prompt for this universe, go ahead and leave it below.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter well be so much fluff, I swear.


End file.
